52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

[telly]

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS4) - 40 Hours

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a game that I enjoyed quite a bit even though it definitely has flaws. First, the game has this impressive and beautiful art style that captured me the entire time I was playing that's set perfectly by an incredible score and an immense overworld with lots of secrets and enemies to fight and treasures to uncover. The animations done by Studio Ghibli also created a really nice experience that fit the graphics really well.

I also really enjoyed the gameplay. I actually liked the mixture of turn based in real time combat it reminded me a lot of Kingdom Hearts and I found it to be very exciting and fun with the right mixture of strategy and action. I didn't know that it was going to be based on Pokémon, but once I learned all of the mechanics it was really enjoyable to create a team for all of my party members equip them and boost their stats and picking the right familiar to bring to any given situation it was really fun to experiment with all of those different features including the alchemy mechanic, and all of the different side quests and bounty hunts that you can do to pass the time in between the story missions.

Some aspects of the gameplay that I didn't like was the fact that your companions aren't very smart, and there aren’t a lot of ways to set their actions in battle unless you take control of them directly. They usually make really stupid decisions and die way too frequently. I also found the game to be pretty frustratingly difficult when it came to normal encounters and I died quite a few times just from fighting your typical set of enemies. In contrast, I was able to finish every boss fight on the first time because it's a lot easier to fight one enemy than a group of three, and Drippy your companion fairy often tells you exactly what you need to do to beat the boss which kind of took a lot of the challenge out of it.

By far my least favorite aspect of Ni No Kuni was the story. It's overall a very simple story that airs more on the childish side than mature, even though there are some themes in the game that are very serious. I was hoping that the setup of the game, where in the young main character tragically loses their mom, would be a great foundation for some interesting storytelling. Oliver barely shows any grief or sorrow at the loss of his mom and just continues like nothing happened.

The villains are also super cliché, and this is one of those RPGs where the whole premise of the villains’ motives are based on destroying a corrupt world but their reasons for doing so are flimsy at best. There’s barely any conflict, greed, corruption, or… like… anything evil going on at all in the world, beyond what’s being directly injected into the people by the villains themselves. It just wasn't very compelling or well executed in my opinion. There are also tons of plot holes and inconsistencies due to the mishandling of multiple messy and complicated story elements like time travel, dual souls for each character, and multiple worlds. On that later point, I didn't really like the shifting between both the real world and the fantasy world because Motorville just wasn’t very interesting. Certain storylines also had a lot of artificial padding which felt very frustrating.

In summary even though I didn't enjoy the story very much at all, the game is beautiful and fun to play, and those numerous hours of just exploring the world and fighting monsters and leveling up and doing side quests was enough to keep me enjoyed for quite a long time.

[bikingjahuty]

55. Dead or Alive 5: Last Round (PS4)

2025 is certainly shaping up to be the year of Dead or Alive for me. This year alone I've played through the majority of the franchise, at least belonging to the fighting genre, and honestly I'm having so much fun that I'll likely play another two, maybe even three DOA games before we hit the end of the year. But anyhow, this time I got to return to DOA5, and entry I haven't touched since around the time it came out in 2012. I remember thinking DOA5 was a good game back on the PS3, but I guess I forgot just how good it was since aside from going out with my wife for a while this afternoon and taking our dogs on a walk, I pretty much played this game all day long. After I'd finished Story Mode, I then played arcade mode with nearly every character in DOA5's impressive roster before fiddling around with a handful of other modes too. In short, this is a fun as hell fighting game and another excellently crafted game in this criminally underrated franchise.


DOA5's gameplay is tight, fast paced, and fun. Like many previous DOA games, it is very combo focused and being successful at this game is very dependent on your ability to rack up crazy combos and pull off combo chains. Chip damaging your opponent can work to an extent, but you'll really want to stun lock your opponent and continue to pummel them with DOA5's impressive array of moves that each character posseses. There is a lot of depth to be found in DOA5, but some of that depth is lost in the flashiness of this game, which while it makes for an entertaining experience, it probably detracts somewhat from this game being as competitive as some of its late 2000s/early 2010s rivals. DOA5 Last Round's roster is very impressive with it containing a ton of DOA characters, but also several characters from Ninja Gaiden and also SEGA's Virtua Fighter. Even Mai for the King of Fighterrs series is playable, assuming you purchased her as paid DLC. Unfortunately, even though this is the final, presumably ultimate version of DOA5, there is still surprisingly a lot of costumes and several characters that you don't get by default. Holding back content as DLC in fightng games has been abused way worse in various other fighting games since DOA5's release, but it still annoys me every time I see it. Luckily, there are still a bunch of costumes to unlock by completing various modes and challenges within DOA5. There is also a pretty robust story mode which will cover the events following DOA4. While it's nothing groundbreaking or riveting, it's still entertaining and fills you in on the DOA universe.


DOA5 Last Round's presentation is excellent. Character models have been updated from their DOA4 counterparts to look slightly less animeish and a bit more realistic. Gravity defying jiggle physics are still as crazy as ever, and the majority of the female roster is still scantily clad in many of their outfits, but they all look and move a little more realistic compared to previous entries. Male characters have also been updated and look better than they ever have in DOA5. There is also some pretty cool perspiration and dirt effects that occur during each mach that make characters look like they've been getting a workout while fighting, as well as maybe getting knocked to the ground one too many times. This definitely makes DOA5 Last Round one of the best looking fighting games of its time and one that still looks pretty impressive even today. DOA5's stages encompass some of my favorite and least favorite in the franchise. Certain stages are absolutely awesome and over the top as you'd expect them to be in a game that allows you to knock your opponent off a ledge or through a wall as they fall 40 feet to the ground below. There are a few stages like the Oil Rig however, which are boring and unremarkable in nearly every way. Luckily, the goos stages definitely outweigh the bad ones, making DOA5 a blast to play no matter what level you're fighting in.


Finally, DOA5's audio is pretty good for the most part. The Japanese voice actors are absolutely better than the english ones, but that's not to say there isn't some talent on the English side of things as well. There aren't any egregiously bad performances, and while the dialogue is often cheesy and melodramatic, it's all pretty entertaining thanks to that aforementioned voice acting. The OST is good as well, with some new tracks being combined with various classic DOA songs as well. I'm definitely more of a fan of those older songs they included, but the new tracks are mostly enjoyable as well, maybe minus a couple. Sound effects of punches, slamming characters to the ground, hitting an energy forcefield, or some other explosive object all sound great and really give a weight to the combat of DOA5. The audio is awesome and I have few complaints about it.


At the end of the day, I felt torn about whether I prefer DOA4 or DOA5 Last Round as my favorite DOA game. Both games look, sound, and play very well, and are highly entertaining. However, I felt like I connected just a tiny biy more with DOA5 which is why, at least for now, it's my favorite DOA game. I cannot stress how enjoyable and crazy the DOA games are, and its a series I have come to love and appreciate more and more this year as I've spent a good chunk of time with each installment. There are still a few DOA games that could give DOA5 Last Round a run for its money, but it's going to be hard to beat, that's for sure! (4/26/25) [37/50]

[dhaabi]

23. Silent Hill 2 || PlayStation 5 || 04.22.2025



When news was formally announced that Silent Hill 2 (SH2 2024) would be released again as a modern remake, I was excited for what this means for the franchise but was simultaneously reserved with my expectations. Now, after having played through every mainline game within the Silent Hill series and just six months after its release, I was able to experience the Silent Hill 2 remake.

Unlike my other reviews, my thoughts for Silent Hill 2 will largely focus on its role of a remake in relation to Silent Hill 2 (SH2 2001) which released in 2001, so I suppose I'll mention my thoughts for SH2 2001 for those interested. In short, this game is not a 1:1 recreation of its source material—both in regards to gameplay and story—which makes it easy for me to recommend playing both games to those who are interested. Of course, there are some changes to be praised and others which I question, though I'll be upfront now and say that the majority of differences are positive. Concerning differences between the two, it does not take long for SH2 2024 to deviate from what veteran players are expecting. And despite these differences, many prominent aspects of SH2 2001 which have been re-imagined are preserved as minor references referred to as glimpses of the past. While protagonist James Sunderland can only stop to stare at them, they're interesting callbacks.

More than anything, the two most immediate aspects which sets apart the two games from another is exploration and environmental design which I found to be exceptionally designed with the remake. With the change in camera perspective, rummaging through each area and even individual room showcases the level of detail put in to make them unique. There is a lot to discover including written material and discarded artifacts both old and new, and the thematic depth and relevancy to the the original game is quite successful. Unfortunately, though, an aspect that's left me divided upon is James's presence and his role as an active participant. Throughout his journey in finding the truth of his wife Mary, he's force to overcome the grotesque and otherworldly, yet he moves forward with no hesitation. There's never a moment he comments on how he feels or what's being experienced, and this contrasts his design in SH2 2001 where he then provides internal dialogue and introspection. This also concerns his finding discovery of significant items and ones which provide world-building. Aside from narrative sequences, he's a silent protagonist throughout all gameplay. In fairness, it's difficult to be critical of this change as narrative sequences in SH2 2024 are the game's biggest strengths which do provide some insight into James's physical and mental state yet, even while watching them, there is little for audiences to learn about how James feels in his own words.

Meanwhile, the degree and tone of visual horror is just what I'd expect from a modern making of this game. With the up-close camera perspective, navigating through much of the game's dark and dilapidated environments is downright terrifying, and that's only made worse by roaming monsters or even ones waiting in silence. With that said, enemy design is also successful although it's less impactful since they're monsters previously encountered. However, enemy behavior itself is far more impressive than anything else relating to them. In fact, there is one enemy so exceptionally designed that I feel inclined to discuss it with some depth, and that enemy is the mannequin. While neither their visual or auditory design is all that scary, their behavior absolutely is. That these enemies are positioned in such inconspicuous places often low to the floor, out-of-view from where players are led to look, or subtly behind environmental set pieces makes them quite off-putting and a surprise. When mannequins sense you, they'll abruptly awaken and attack, and it's made worse by the fact the player will generally be facing them unknowingly.

Relating to visuals, I'll now discuss sound. To be succinct, I found the game's soundtrack good but did not find it to be as strong as its source material. Thinking back, a big reason for why SH2 2001 is so successful is not just its sound design but its implementation of it. There are many sections of that game which utilize an uncomfortable silence or some unnerving ambiance, but that element never stood out to me while playing SH2 2024. Perhaps my impression of SH2 2024's sound would be higher had I played the game with headphones on, though I question if I'd actually have been able to experience the game that way on a first playthrough. Regardless, the game's sound design across other aspects is something worth praising, though this aspect is far more comprehensive as it includes vocal performance and delivery, narrative composition, and cinematography.

With that said, whereas dialogue often felt flat and snappy in SH2 2001, there now is so much time in the remake for emotions and words to carry meaning. Now, silence and pauses in-between lines add leave a strong impression throughout narrative cutscenes. Of course, this is made so much more achievable by the combined performance of the vocal cast. In this modern remake, characters feel like real people and not like exaggerated caricatures (although Eddie—another stranger to the town of Silent Hill with their own struggles to face—particularly does still come across as cartoonish, though this instead relates to character design.) Taking the mystifying Maria as an example, her involvement and expression with James feels far more realistic than ever before as a result of authentic back-and-forth  conversation and her flirtatious advances. Overall, the game's acting, cinematography, facial animations, and expressions elevate SH2 2024 to a series high, and the distance between it and everything else is vast.

In spite of the many praises I have for SH2 2024, I did find myself often feeling conflicted about my playthrough experience, and the reason for that lies in emotional impact. Unfortunately, the emotional depth this specific Silent Hill entry is known for was something I never discovered while playing. And this obviously isn't because story execution is poor because I find them to be the game's biggest strengths either. Instead, I think it's the simple fact that I've already experienced the story of Silent Hill 2, and it wasn't all that long ago either. While I don't regret my time playing SH2 2001, I do wonder just how much more there would be for me to praise about SH2 2024 had I only experienced it instead. Perhaps I just needed more time in-between playing the two games, or even more time away from the franchise entirely, before playing this remake.

I've yet to even discuss gameplay despite the subject of this review being for an interactive game, though I suppose that fact reinforces the game's focus on narrative. Moving forward, combat is really not all that much more intense than in the original game, though it may feel that way as a result of the changed camera perspective. Unlike in SH2 2001 which utilizes a bird's eye third-person view, SH2 2024 adopts a more direct, over-the-shoulder point-of-view. When melee weapons are used, there is a good weight to them when making contact with enemies that feels rewarding, and ranged weapons feel serviceable. I'm being a little brief with these descriptions, but an aspect of combat I thoroughly enjoyed is when the player stomps on enemies. There isn't any limit to stomping enemies even once they've felled, and the act is the best vehicle for demonstrating James's anger, frustration, and desperation all at once being unleashed. For a time, the beginning areas of SH2 2024 seem to follow SH2 2001's level of difficulty, in that it's at a minimum even when playing with the Standard combat difficulty mode selected. If players take the time to be thorough in investigating their surroundings, they'll be rewarded with more than enough resources. I also noticed how, when inventory count is already high, the amount of each resource item you'll find will be noticeably lower. So, to a degree, the survival horror aspect of the game feels a little diminished in the same way the original game did. However, this level of ease does change as more enemy types are introduced and combat sequences become not only more frequent but more difficult too.

Generally, games within the survival horror genre stay fairly short to prevent players from becoming desensitized to the horror aspects. However, SH2 2024 ignores this guiding principle as it doubles the playtime established by SH2 2001 to near a total somewhere around 20–25 hours. At first, this change wasn't noticed as story sequences, town exploration, puzzle design, and enemy encounters maintained just the right level of balance. However, this changes toward the middle- to late-game. Specifically, the issue lies in combat as the second halve of the game places a larger emphasis on combat than the original had, and areas seem far too drawn out. Even so, environments are redesigned in ways which feel faithful to the original title and franchise as a whole, and this applies to stage progression and puzzle design too which has been altered. As a remake, SH2 2024 is quite successful in recapturing veteran players' interest in addition to new players', though its success does eventually become diminished due to game length.

In the end, SH2 2024 is a remake that greatly succeeds in proving its reason to exist, although I still would rather for development efforts in general to be made toward new experiences. While there is still much to praise for SH2 2001 and especially when in the context of its time of release, the remake sets itself apart in just as successful ways to recapture new and old audiences. Personally, my highlight of the game is with Angela, another stranger to the town of Silent Hill, as her characterization and depiction is tremendously improved and offers players an especially authentic look at emotional trauma through her own journey. At this time, I'm caught up with (nearly) all of the Silent Hill franchise, though there is still some left for me to experience which I intend to do to the best of my accessibility.

[realpoketendonl]

2. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [3DS]

All right! Almost May and that's game number......two. Yeahh, I'm not gonna get a high tally this year. I've been so busy with work and activism this year that I've barely had time to play games. But I did now finally make some time and play through Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, and I'm glad I did. It's a fun game!

This is a classic Metroidvania. I found it fun to go through! It controls buttery smooth, and Shantae's slick attacks and movements feel great to pull off. The world never felt like a drag to go through. I usually had a decent idea of where to go next, though at some points I will say I found it a bit too cryptic. There were a few points where I'm not sure I would've found something without a guide, in part because there was seemingly no indication something essential was there, and I'm not a big fan of that. I know that's par for the course with Metroidvanias, but still. Something newer titles like Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread handle better, I suppose. I will also admit I checked a guide probably a bit more often than I needed to, but whatever, I still had fun playing through the levels!

The story was a bit hard to follow and the characters make stupid choices at times, but it helps they're likeable and colourful. I don't know what it is, but there's something about Shantae as a character that just keeps her sticking around in my head. She's memorable and fun!

Also, I played this on 3DS, which I've had it on for years. Instant item access on the touch screen was handy, and with how easy the 3DS still is to bring along, it was easy to play a little bit on the train from work every day. Performed flawlessly, for those who care, but I wouldn't expect less for a 2D pixel-art platformer.

Overall, I recommend it! I'm not sure whether I like it better than Half-Genie Hero or not, because I did beat that one too, but I honestly don't remember that much about it. Guess we'll see how much staying power this game will have in my mind. Either way, if you're looking for a fun upbeat Metroidvania, I'd say this game is worth a look.

No idea how actively I'll be gaming from here. I do want to beat Metroid Prime 3: Corruption before Metroid Prime 4: Beyond comes out, so I guess we'll see.

[marvelvscapcom2]

24. Batman Return To Arkham: Arkham Asylum [PS4] -finished Apr 30th, 2025



GAMING NIRVANA

I mean, clap clap clap.  Slow clap.  I have a tradition where if a game truly blows me away. I clap at the end credits.  I honestly thought Hogwarts legacy would be my only flawless title of the year.  A game that engrosses you in lore so well you drown in the source material in such a sexy inviting way.... boy was I wrong


Batman Arkham Asylum is a entry into a series ive heard so much about but for some reason never was committed to try. That's why I adore the 52 game challenge. It has gotten me to say "its time" and this game is beyond most.

To put it in perspective. It's probably top 15 all time for me in GAMES let alone super hero titles. Goleeee it's incredible.

What makes Arkham Asylum bliss

1. The atmosphere feels like it was ripped right out of the comics to your screen. It's dark but yet still able to pop in color and charisma. It's gritty but also still so clean. You become the dark knight. The interview tapes with asylum killers. Gothams finest or most infamously unfine.  The mind altering psychedelics.  It bleeds like fountain pen through tissues.  It in itself is visual art.


2. The combat system is flawless. No hiccups. The free flow combo idea is incredible and it seems the stealth is challenging and thus rewarding.

3. The riddler puzzles are genius. It's like a game within a game honestly.  Take on E. Nigma aka riddler as he has hid trophies like puzzles accross arkham island. Some are difficult. Mysterious. Some require traversing. Brain. Problem solving. And some just solve themselves. It's a cool collectathon within a fully fan serviced beat em up.

4. Plot depth. It's batman. Which lends itself to dark story telling. Its honestly better than half the movies imo. So damn good.


5. Omg the boss battles help me.  P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N.  Like old PS2 days.  Rarely games hit that niche stride anymore where each boss feels patterned, but difficult. Learnable but not a cake walk. Strategy required. And the cinematics rocked my socks. My socks attended led zeppelin concerts in the 70s. Fully rocked socks.



It just kicks ass. The rainy feels. The arkham symbols to uncover the truth of the city. But the villains are designed in clever ways.


The games joker is my new favorite up there with Mark Hamill.  The joker is so diabolcal yet goofy in ways that lure you into feeling defenseless. He feels out of reach. Feels like being toyed with by a criminal mastermind. His mannerisms, goofy tactics.  Even one part that I wont spoil where he kinda leads you up one way only to give a "sike"  hes maaaad. So ridiculously insane.  And they captured it.

Harley and her "Mr. Batz" way of talking is funny and on par with her character.  She is also blending multi personalities into a sorta bipolar kookie secretary for big clown in town himself.


Poison Ivy has a motherly vibe regarding her plants. Her scenes are well choreographed.


The best way I can put it. Is to cut to the chase. Batman arkham asylum is the greatest super hero game. I have ever played.  It's a shining spot on PS3s gen. And the remaster was faithful and responsive.

Rocksteady games ate their vitamins and munched the wheaties in 2007. Because this is a champion level game.

And to think I still have City, Knight and Origins. Excited for that.


Rating - 100/100

[bizzgeburt]

03 - Scrabble (PlayStation)

https://vgcollect.com/item/282025

I like boardgame-adaptations in PlayStation one. I don't know why exactly, but I think they're neat ...
... I was kinda bored playing PokéMon Silver for months, grinding, so I gave this one a try, considering it finished by playing and winning all possible variants.
If you're into lovelessly assembeld, unspectacular games with lame to no music, this one might be what you looking for  honestly, maybe if someone's really into Scrabble in general or likes mind-challenging games, you'll be able to enjoy this, but don't expect much in terms of presentation. It is was it's packaging promises - despite different styled boards and pieces, which are mentioned in the back text, but don't appear to actually be in the game at all, at least I couldn't find them anywhere as options and progressing through different rounds didn't change those either. I felt disappointment for a while, but dangit, Mattel toys were never products of prestine quality, right 

I don't know anything further to tell about this game ... playing it was a somewhat "miscelaneuos" experience for me.

On to the next one... 

[bikingjahuty]

56. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS5)

When I beat Metal Gear Solid late last month, the first thing I wanted to do was jump into its sequel, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, as fast as possible. I more or less did this and experienced what was technically the first Metal Gear game I ever played. A good friend of mine growing up bought or rented Zone of the Enders which included a demo disk of MGS2 in it. I fell head over heals in love with ZOE, but at one point I wanted to try this Metal Gear Solid 2 game that was bundled with it. MGS2 couldn't be more different than ZOE despite both being Kojima games. I remember struggling with the stealth, but did end up getting to the Olga fight where I eventually turned the game off and decided it wasn't my thing. I'd carry this sentiment towards the MGS series, and stealth games in general, up until recently when I decided to set my expectations right and attempt one last time to get into the MGS series which is something I've wanted to do for a long time. Luckily, I was successful and having now beat the first two MGS games, I have some thoughts.


In some very big ways, MGS is a definite upgrade over its predecessor. Beyond the obvious of it having better graphics due to originally being developed for a way more powerful hardware (the PS2), its visuals aren't actually an area I think it's better than the first MGS game. MGS1 was not only iconic and groundbreaking in its cinematic presentation, but also in just its overall look and feel. That game had such an amazing presence and vibe to the whole game, which while MGS2 absolutely has its own look and feel too, it's just not on par with MGS1. Big Shell, a giant structure in the middle of the ocean similar to an oil rig, just didn't do it for me like Shadow Moses did. Too much of Big Shell looks somewhat bland and uninteresting and this is despite part of it being under water and it having a decent variety of settings within each of its parts. The character models, while technically more detailed, just weren't as interesting to me either, with a few exceptions. Don't et me wrong, MGS2 was one of the best looking PS2 games and one of the best looking video games when it came out, but so was MGS1 when it came out. I just wasn't as impressed with MGS2 from a visuals standpoint as I was with MGS1.


One area where MGS2 is not lacking compared to the first game is its audio and gameplay. Like the first game, there is a ton of excellent voice acting, some of which is appropriately over the top, but still very good. I'd say there are actually fewer spotty performances in MGS2 than there was in MGS1. I will say, however, Rose who you speak with quite often due to her saving your game, annoyed the ever loving hell out of me and made me think twice about saving sometimes. Other than that very minor gripe, I still really loved MGS2's voice cast. The soundtrack was also excellent with there being a lot more jazz and early 2000s sounding drum and bass music that really helped give this game a very cozy vibe. Of course with MGS2 being an action game, there were also plenty of high energy tracks to compliment the craziness occurring in front of you. Sound effects and design were also pretty top notch with weapons mostly sounding good, the sound of guards and footsteps depending on the surface, and a multitude of other audio delights made MGS2's overall audio quality near perfect in my book.


While I'd say MGS1 and MGS2's audio is about equal in terms of quality, one area I will say was noticeably better than MGS1 was in MGS2's gameplay. I'm not going to deny the fact that a lot of MGS1's gameplay annoyed me despite it being more enjoyable than not. The controls just felt clunky, many of the baked in mechanics felt not fully realized, and the shooting, which you had to do quite often, just felt like crap for the most part. Luckily nearly every mechanic from MGS1 got better in MGS2, sometimes way better. While this game doesn't suddenly turn into Unreal Tournament or Half Life, the shooting in MGS2 is remarkably better thanks to a first person aiming mode with all the weapons, which easily allow you to aim your weapon and enemies and fire where you want. Not only did this increase my immersion in MGS2, but also just my overall enjoyment of knowing I could fairly easily hit my target with little to no issues. Other returning mechanics such as sneaking, hiding, and melee combat all got noticeably better despite none of these systems being executed perfectly either. One new mechanic, swimming, did feel a bit awkward, but luckily outside one particular part of the game, it's not heavily used. Boss fights in MGS2 were mostly better than they were in the first game. There were a few exceptions to this, particularly the final boss which has you using a specific fighting mechanic you don't learn until later on in the game, that like swimming, was not implemented as well as it could have been. Some other bosses like a Metal Gear Ray fight later in the game, are definitely more enjoyable and well implemented than a somewhat similar Metal Gear fight in the first game. Overall, the gameplay is just a way better experience despite it being far from perfect and having its own new unique frustrations still.


MGS2 might be one of the most U-shaped gaming experience I've ever had. The game starts out really good with Snake infiltrating a large sea tanker that is housing a new type of Metal Gear, but then when the game fast forwards two years later and you're playing as Raiden, infiltrating the Big Shell base, my personal interest and enjoyment somewhat cratered. It wasn't until about 4 or 5 hours into playing as Raiden that the game starts to really pick up after a specific event occurs, and it just never lets up after that. And trust me, that 4 or 5 hour dip was brutal to the point where I actually wanted to be done with the game so I could move onto something more enjoyable. Thankfully, the last third of the game is very good, not to mention bat shit insane! The amount of twist and turns the story and plot takes towards the end would make a pro rally car driver projectile vomit as just when you think you know what's going on, the game flips everything on its head...again. It honestly felt like a bit too much actually, but overall, the story and what the game is trying to say is so fresh, unique, interesting, and eerily prophetic that I couldn't help but love it. It was so good that I had a hard time deciding who I sided with in the end, but I just recommend playing this game to see for yourself how insane and oddly relevant to the real world the ending is.


There is no doubt in my mind that I liked MGS2 more than MGS1, despite MGS2 having lower lows than the first game, but also way higher highs. I'm still going back and forth as to whether I want to jump into MGS3 sometime this summer, or just wait a few more months and experience that game for the first time thanks to MGS Delta. Regardless, you can now consider myself a fan of this franchise and one I hope as a future just as bright as its unique past. (5/2/25) [38/50]

[bizzgeburt]

04 - Schlümpfe, Die (PlayStation)

https://vgcollect.com/item/282229

I bought this german version of The Smurfs for PlayStation just a few days ago. I liked the Smurf-franchise as a kid and own several Smurf-themed videogames along different systems. Most of them target young kids and are frankly easy to beat. I wasn't surprised to beat this game 100% within a few hours. Some sequences may seem frustrating, but with a few more tries this game offers little to no challenge for an experienced gamer.
Nevertheless, graphics and presentation are crisp for a PS1-game of it's type, the 9 different stages are made with much details and all deliver their own specific ambience. In every stage there are 3 crescent moon symbols to discover - most of them are easy to catch, but few of them are hidden better or require you to backtrack a little. Due to the detailled graphics and many background animations like leafs, butterflies, snow, rain, etc. the size of the single stages seems quite small, which further leads to this game being of the short kind.

All in all I consider this title a good distraction on a rainy sunday afternoon. Nothing to challenging, yet not boring at all.

On to the next one ...

[marvelvscapcom2]

25. The Exit 8 [PS5] - Finished May 2nd, 2025




Exit 8 is a psychological horror just like Stanley Parable Deluxe which I never finished and abandoned. This one makes me much less uneasy and doesn't deliberately attempt to mess with me as much.

Premise is simple. Walk down a corridor and attempt to spot anomolies that have changed.  Think "spot the difference" and if an anomly is spotted. You gotta turn around.  Some anomolies are creepy but only in a "thats not supposed to be there" kinda way. It's tollerable.


Overall it was the quickest video game of the year. Coulda benefited from more hallways and some sort of enemy that will attack to add spookiness. I do enjoy the puzzle solving elements. Not sure its worth 4 dollars. But I will accept it for what it is.

Also it has a poster of a pomeranian... which adds 4 points.

Rating - 72/100

[bikingjahuty]

57. Unreal Tournament (PC)

Occasionally I'll play a game that I knew of from the 90s or early 2000s, but never played back when the game was relatively new, yet the game hits a nostalgic nerve. In the late 90s, my goto arena FPS was Quake III Arena. I never owned it, nor would it have even run on my PC to begin with, but my best friend at the time had it and we played it regularly for about a year whenever I'd come over on a Friday or Saturday night. Whenever I'd hear about Unreal Tournament at school, I always dismissed it, mostly due to my unfamiliarity with the series. It actually wouldn't be until the mid-2000s and watching various Gmanlives videos that inspired me, I bought Unreal Tournament off of GOG and decided to see what all the fuss was about. Funny enough, in recent years I've come to actually prefer Unreal over Quake III despite having that connection to Quake growing up.


Unreal Tournament is just an amazing game all around. The gameplay is fast, fluid and ridiculously addictive. I've admittedly not been a fan of mutliplayer focused FPS games, especially when played online, for the better part of 20-years. However, the matches with bots is so amazing that it's easy to just lose yourself in this game for multiple reasons. There are a bunch of great and unfortunately not so great weapons at your disposal. Weapons have multiple fire modes and can do different things too if you hold the left or right mouse button down before firing. It really gives this game a lot of depth and allows you to strategize about how you'll take our your opponents. There are also certain weapons better suited to certain stages. Speaking of stages, they are a fairly mixed bag with some being incredible and others being absolutely terrible. I'd say on average the stages are typically about a 7 out of 10 in terms of their layout, balancing, and enjoyability. One issue I did have with some stages more than others was having a hard time finding guns despite all the gun pickups spots respawning every 20 seconds or so. Unfortunately, in a game where you're constantly having to move in order to stay alive, this can be problematic. For the most part, it wasn't too big of an issue in what is overall an excellent gameplay experience. The shooting in Unreal Tournament feels very precise and smooth, which is a big reason why this game is so hard to put down. This is complemented even more by the game's various modes which will give you hours of additional entertainment. In fact, some maps are exclusive to specific modes like capture the flag. I personally love Domination and Deathmatch modes the most, but it's nice Unreal gives you other options as well in case you get bored of one mode.


Beyond just the look and feel of Unreal Tournament, its soundtrack is undeniably a product of the late 90s. The combination of drum and bass and trance music dominates the OST, but there are also a few rock inspired songs thrown in for good measure. It all just sounds so period appropriate, but beyond that it's just freakin awesome! Playing a game like this on PC while chill drum and bass music plays in the background just takes me back to being 12 on a Friday night and just gaming until my eyes wouldn't stay open anymore. Outside its amazing OST, the sound effects of the weapons, explosions, and some environmental sounds here and there all definitely fit in well with the action going on. There is also some limited voice acting in Unreal Tournament as well, but beyond being called a bitch every other time you die, there's not much to say about it. Really, the OST is the bread and butter of Unreal's audio and what you'll remember possibly even more than the excellent gameplay.


Finally, Unreal Tournament is a great looking game. Obviously, the Unreal games have always been a showcase for Epic Games' new engines and at the time, the Unreal engine was about as good as it got in terms of graphics. There are a decent amount of characters you can choose from and also do things like customize their appearance with different heads or body types. Really though, it's the stages and action taking place that are the main visual focal point while playing. Just like some stages are better than others when it comes to gameplay, some of Unreal Tournament's stages look way more appealing than others. While I commend there being a decent variety of stages to choose from, there are maybe a few too many industrial looking stages that this game would have benefited from giving a different style. Oddly enough, however, these industrial themed stages are some of the best in the game, but from a visual standpoint they can get kinda old after a while. The visuals effects from the various weapons all look great for the time as well. Overall, Unreal Tournament is just a great looking game from top to bottom.


Again, it really is remarkable how much Unreal Tournament takes me back to the late 90s and early 2000s despite it not being a game I played until years later in the mid 2010s. The game just so accurately nails the vibe and zeitgeist of what it was like to be a young gamer nearly three decades ago. It reminded me of all those weekend sleepovers I used to have with friends where we'd gorge ourselves on Doritos and Soda all night and try and stay up until the sun came up the next morning. Or going to a friend's birthday and playing laser tag somewhere (almost like real life Unreal Tournament...minus dying off course). While the game isn't perfect and I've also somewhat outgrown arena multiplayer shooters at this point, I still really enjoyed playing through the various different modes of Unreal Tournament and would absolutely recommend anyone play it that wants to know how amazing the late 90s gaming scene really was. (5/2/25) [38/50]

[dhaabi]

24. Dinner with an Owl || PC || 04.30.2025



Looking for something short to play, I decided to play through Dinner with an Owl. I don't remember how I came across this game, though I think it was from seeing it listed under a suggested games section within Steam after playing through a majority of Rusty Lake's games.

As a traditional point-and-click adventure game, Dinner with an Owl is a brief narrative experience with a horror-mystery theme premise. At the start, the player assumes the role of a Mr. Webb who's attending a business meeting and dinner with a partner, Mr. Brown. However, shortly upon his arrival, it's revealed that Mr. Brown is not normal as he is a man with an owl's head. The estate's butler, a woman, and the woman's young daughter are also present whom you later learn have been here for weeks—maybe even months—and are trapped by the peculiar lord. At nearly every chance he's granted during the first hours, Mr. Webb speaks up voicing his surprise at what sort of strange happenings are occurring but is immediately interrupted and ignored. In secret, he learns that their host has a history of being aggressive and that we should avoid provoking him.

Without divulging much, several days pass which generally follow the same sequence of events. While there are subtle changes which pass without any real major bearing on the end result, they seem to largely exist to demonstrate the game's surrealistic nature. Nevertheless, the player's goal is to secure the means to escape the manor, and the solution to this puzzle comes across as quite elementary at first. Surprisingly, though, what I would imagine many first-time players would think would be the logical end to a short story actually isn't, and the game subverts expectations abruptly for a pleasant twist which allows the this short game to become just a little longer. While there is an added layer to the only puzzle's solution, it's presented in a way which the opportunity can actually be missed. If that's the case, the player will continuing playing infinitely through a loop, so to speak, until the problem is overcome.

Despite it being within the point-and-click genre, the genre's staple mechanic of acquiring an assortment of inventory items to interact with the environment or in combination of another is quite limited and seldom used. There are only two items to gain, and they can only be used once each in one specific instance, and the ability to combine items isn't present at all. Similarly, most of the gameplay consists of reading through conversations and selecting dialogue choices without repercussions or any influence over the story at all, even. So, the game comes across more as one looking to share a bizarre story foremost, rather than providing gameplay experiences. Still, it's a game free to download as an indie project, so I cannot fault much over development choices.

And to be brief, I'll mention two other small aspects: visuals and sound. Regarding the former, there is actually little to see and nothing really to explore, as the player is limited to three in-game room environments which only two grant the means for players to move about. Even so, an impactful illustrated art style emphasizing deep orange and red is utilized which demonstrates a focus on environment design. As for the latter, the game's soundtrack greatly complements the game's themes and sense of atmosphere. All of the game's dialogue is fully voiced too, and it's nicely performed. While there isn't much conversation, this inclusion helped reinforce the unnerving situation at hand.

In the end, Dinner with an Owl offers a fine narrative-driven experience, though it lacks depth in what is the point-and-click genre's most defining characteristic. Although, perhaps that may be remedied in the upcoming prequel entry Owl Observatory, which I hope garners as much positive reception as this entry received.

[marvelvscapcom2]

26. Platform 8 [PS5] - finished May 4th, 2025




Not sure if i'll combine these into 1 entry later as they feel a little cheap being under 1 hour long. But I will cover my experience with Platform 8. The successor to exit 8.


Ya know. Idk. It's definitely got more intriguing elements. A wittier ending and better setting. But it made me think less, puzzle solve less and ultimately get scared over the line I enjoy.  So if you're into the terror. This is for you.


Tbh im good with horror. Gore.  Slashers are an aphrodisiac as far as i'm concerned lol.  Me and my gf adore them.  But heres another fact about me.


Psychological horrors are not my thing lol

Indonesia and Japan know how to make these scary to a point where I'm not willing to participate.  Its the feeling of the unknown.

This one definitely has scarier elements. Much scarier. It adds more fright. Chased..ghosts. blood. Headless manequins? On a endless train?.yeah i'll pass lol.


The puzzle elements take a back seat which I dislike. The other game didn't insist upon itself too much.  This was improves the spooky like I asked. But botches the soul imo.

Rating - 67/100

[kamikazekeeg]

Sadly have to drop my run through Super Mario RPG as my Switch's battery isn't good and I've sold it off to someone else to deal with lol The plan is hopefully, if this year isn't an absolute disaster, to pick up a Switch 2 down the road, where I have my save backed up and I can just bring it over to that and jump back into the game.  I may not be happy with a lot of Nintendo's decisions with the console, but now it's less about just looking at an upgrade.

[dhaabi]

25. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage || PlayStation 5 || 05.01.2025



As I'm a fan of narrative adventure games, it was no surprise that I decided to play through Lost Records: Bloom & Rage shortly after its release. This game was developed by Don't Nod (previously Dontnod) who worked on the first two games within the Life Is Strange series, and I actually haven't played anything by them in about six years, so I was curious how much of their design philosophy, if any, had changed while hoping to experience a worthwhile story.

Utilizing a frame narrative device, Bloom & Rage presents the majority of its story from the perspective of a small group of friends reuniting after 27 years of intentionally being separated from another. After all this time, they've decided to come together once more to remember past events that have been purposely forgotten to help overcome a shared trauma, though they're all more than hesitant to actually be together. Periodically, the game will shift from one timeline to another as key moments are remembered from the past which comes in the form of player exploration and the past's own narrative to follow which then allows present-day characters to reflect upon it. At the same time, one of the game's biggest focuses lies in a the protagonist's use of capturing footage on a camcorder, though it really doesn't serve any major narrative purpose and certainly not within the present timeline due to events not revealed until the game's closing segments.

With that said, the game's goal is to provide successful storytelling foremost. As a narrative adventure game, Bloom & Rage offers little traditional gameplay beyond walking around throughout 3D environments and making choices which impacts the direction of other characters' involvement within the story being told. Regularly, the player is given a selection of choices to decide how they want the protagonist to behave which warrants a varied response from other cast members, but the options available are fluid since dialogue options may or may not all be available as the story progresses and relationships develop. With that said, there is a relationship system incorporated which, as mentioned, does impact the story, but its accessibility is limited to only the end of each of the game's halves. Going back to dialogue, there is a finite amount of time to select choices with silence also being an option, and more options may become available as the time meter depletes as others continue to dictate the conversation. In my experience, the choices made during the game's second half are made to have a much more noticeable impact. However, perhaps that impact was always present but didn't necessarily feel so, or maybe this aspect is a result of choices accumulating.

Moving forward, a large reason for why the above story elements are generally successful is in part to the game's cast and setting. Set in the summer of 1995, the story centers around four teenage girls who begin a group friendship while taking place in a rural town with little to do. Character designs are realistictic, incorporating various clothing styles, body types, and a considerable amount of acne. Conversation and banter among them is natural as they'll talk over another without awkward pauses or lines being read one after another. The central cast will be giddy with excitement at times and then dismissive over what's oppressive over them concerning all things that make a teenager react in such ways. Perhaps more than anything, the game's biggest strength lies in presenting a cast of characters who are not only representative of their 1990s upbringing but also a by creating a convincingly real friend group dynamic.

Alongside decision-making, the other half of gameplay revolves around the use of a video camcorder. Regularly, the player will be tasked with filming a certain number of capturable moments or subjects to advance the story. Beyond filming, players have the means to edit, rearrange, curate, and recapture footage, but I didn't engage with any of these mechanics and only did what was necessary without putting much effort toward waiting for specific moments to occur or about the order of events being filmed. In fact, more often than not, I felt as if these scripted events negatively impacted the story's pacing. Something else worth mentioning is that these film opportunities are presented as in-game collectible. Players will unlikely discover them all in one playthrough, so the game also presents a mode to revisit each chapter without impacting the story to seek them out. For me, I really didn't find this sort of gameplay all that rewarding, although the presence and use of the camcorder on a general level is a fun incorporation to the story being told. Throughout the game, there are small segments which employ other gameplay elements which are elementary but serviceable—having a few more of these or even slightly broadening the scope of the existing ones would have been nice to see.

In the end, Bloom & Rage offers a well-written coming-of-age narrative that fans of Don't Nod's previous work will likely enjoy, and I think my stance is that this latest project is most successful as it handles a variety of themes quite well. It wasn't until I sat down to write out my thoughts did I learn that Don't Nod plans to make Lost Records its own series, and I'm not really sure how I feel about that. So, there may come a time when I play a follow-up of sorts to Bloom & Rage, and hopefully its writing is strong too.

[bikingjahuty]

4. The Simpsons: Bart's Nightmare (Genesis) - ABANDONED

Being a Simpsons crazed child back in the 90s, one of the highlights of my day was catching Simpson's episodes on Fox at around 5pm every evening. I was in elementary school throughout most of the Simpson's golden years (1992-1997) and even though a lot of the humor went totally over my head, I still loved it. Of course, also being in love with video games during this time too, knowing games based on the show existed had me beyond excited ti rent and play them whenever I could. The Simpsons game that I had the most couch time with, even to this day, was Bart's Nightmare on the Genesis.


To put it bluntly, Bart's Nightmare is not a good game. I do have to give some credit to the developer for pretty accurately distilling the feel and humor of the show into a 16-bit video game. Many of the characters you're probably familiar with if you watched the show are present in one way shape or form, and the content of Bart's nightmares definitely seem on brand with the character. The audio, while nothing special, also fits in with the zany nature of the game's premise which has you playing through Bart's nightmares as he attempts to collect pages of a homework assignment that flew out his window after falling asleep at his desk, and somehow ended up in his dreams where he must retrieve them. There are even pretty good voice clips from variopus characters that definitely add to the authentic feel of the game. Looking at Bart's Nightmare's presentation alone, one might think this game was pretty good, or at least decent. That is until you actually start to play the game.


Bart's Nightmare is more or less a collection of mini games that represent Bart's various nightmares where he must beat in order to collect pages of his homework assignment. There are several of these including Bart flying through the sky above Springfield as a super hero, Bart being a city destroying Kaiju monster, and Bart getting trapped inside an episode of Itchy and Scratchy. There are several other level types as well, but most levels come in two forms; once you've beat the first form of the level, you'll need to do it again, however this time it'll be different, but based on the same premise. There is also an overworld where you have to find pages of Bart's homework floating around so you can enter these mini games while also avoiding various obstacles that can give you a game over if too many of them hit you. While I could discuss each individuals mini game or the overworld gameplay, I'll just be short and say none of them are well made or really that enjoyable. The most competent of the mini games stages are the Super Bart levels, but even those kinda suck. The worst are the Indiana Jones tomb themed levels that have you platforming on sinking blocks while contending with various obstacles. Other mini games you can cheese really easily making them super easy for all the wrong reasons. The overworld is also a fristrating mess that will have you getting hit by speeding busses or other obstacles you won't see until it's too late. There isn't many positive things to say about Bart's Nightmare's gameplay, which is also a big reason why I don't think I've ever got more than a B- grade by the time I hit a game over. Despite the game sucking, however, I don't actually hate this game.


There are various games from my childhood that while I've come to terms with them being awful or at least mediocre, I still mostly enjoy playing them. Bart's Nightmare firmly fits in this category. While I will probably never be able to beat this game, nor do I care if I ever do, I still enjoy at least trying every few years and reliving a period of my life where the Simpsons was a near flawless show and some of the games for it, including this one, distilled that essence fairly well into a video game. (5/4/25) ABANDONED